Week of October 20, 2022
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DOUGLAS COUNTY, COLORADO
A publication of
HighlandsRanchHerald.net
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 14 | CALENDAR: PAGE 17 | SPORTS: PAGE 22
VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 46
School district accused of ‘woke ideology’ Unvetted comments in TABOR book BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The City of Castle Pines and the Castle Pines North Metro District continue to negotiate an intergovernmental agreement for stormwater and parks. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE
After failed Parker deal, Castle Pines takes on troubled waters Sewage spills a problem BY ELLIOTT WENZLER COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Thousands of homes dot the hills of Castle Pines, a central Douglas County community about 20 miles from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. But underneath those houses and their hills, a problem lurks. As residents flush their toilets, shower and rinse out their sinks, their untreated wastewater enters an aging system that’s struggling to do its job. For years, the Castle Pines North Metro District has logged thousands of gallons of sewage that has spilled from their system. Now, the state has sent them an official warning to address the problem. As former city Mayor Tera Radloff, bluntly puts it: “Sh-t rolls downhill.” And that’s exactly the issue for the system’s lift stations, which have the role of pumping sewage from low elevation to the nearby wastewater treatment plant. “I think this system hasn’t been maintained for a very long time,” said Radloff, who is also one of the SEE WASTEWATER, P4
Nathan Travis, interim district manager, was appointed to his position in August. PHOTO BY ELLIOTT WENZLER
Douglas County’s superintendent is rebutting language published in the “TABOR book” that is meant to help voters weigh the pros and cons of tax issues on the ballot in the upcoming election. “The comments are to be printed as they are, they are not factchecked and there’s no process (for fact-checking),” Douglas County School District Superintendent Erin Kane said. “I was astounded when I learned that.” Kane made those remarks on Oct. 11 at the county school board meeting in reference to what’s called the TABOR book, which addresses county and district tax measures before voters. It contains summaries of for-and-against positions. The guide also includes a warning that the information in it is not verified or checked for accuracy or truth. Kane took issue with the comments in opposition to a $60 million mill levy override and $450 million bond that the district says it needs to make staff pay more competitive, to build new schools and to maintain buildings. Opponents of the mill levy override argue that voters should kill it on the basis that the district supports “woke ideology indoctrination.” Kane and every member of the board dismissed that claim as untrue. “We certainly do not have an agenda-driven, formalized ‘woke’ or whatever you want to call it — social justice, activist — curriculum here in the schools,” board member Mike Peterson said. He added that the district’s curriculum follows state standards. Another claim from opponents that raised concern among board members involved characterizations of the mill levy override. A claim in the TABOR book said the mill levy override cost would SEE SCHOOLS, P11